Support for shifting shuttle boxes on weft replenishing looms



Oct.27,1942. G ZESIK' 2,300,217

SUPPORT FOR SHIFTfNG SHUTTLE BOXES ON WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed April 2. 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l 37 1&1

'IIIIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 'NVENTOR J'oszPi-l Gnzssm ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNKTED Y OFFICE SUPPORT FOR SHIFTING SHUTTLE BOXES ON WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS 19' Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing looms which employ shifting shuttle boxes and it is the general object of the invention to provide additional support for the shifting shuttle boxes. at the time in the cycle of the loom operations during which replenishment can occur.

A form of weft replenishing loom which has gone into use employs shifting shuttle boxes at the replenishing end of the loom operating on i a four-pick cycle such that the shuttle boxes are down for two picks and up for the next two picks. The shuttle boxes cooperate with a set of shuttles which follow each other in rotation, being picked into and out of the shuttle boxes in such an order that there will be a shuttle in each of the two shuttle boxes when the latter start to rise. When the boxes are up there is a shuttle in the top box but the shuttle in the lower box is picked out, permitting the corresponding .1

shuttle binder to move rearwardly or to shuttle checking position. Replenishment always occurs while the lower box is empty on the next beatup of the lay, but on the following pick a shuttle enters the lower box to move the binder forwardly, after which the boxes descend so that the shuttle in the top box can be picked. The shuttle boxes are supported by a downwardly yieldable lifter, such as a spring, and the downward force of transfer is likely to disturb the boxes and cause sufficient vibration and yielding to interfere with proper transfer.

It is an important object of my present invention to provide the shuttle boxes with a lock which moves to locking position when the lower box is empty to support the shuttle boxes at any time when transfer can occur and moves out of locking position when the lower box receives a shuttle preparatory to descent of the boxes.

It is a further object of my present invention to pivot the lock on the lay and control it by the binder of the lower box in such a way that the lock has one swinging motion to and from locking position for each four-pick cycle during which the shuttle boxes shift. By this arrangement the lock is subjected to a minimum movement with resultant reduction of wear and derangement.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide the lock with means, such as a cam surface, to cooperate with the floor of the top box for movement of the look away from interfering position relatively to the boxes when they descend. The cam is inoperative so long as the lower boxv is empty, but arrival of the shuttle the bottom of the loom frame.

is secured to the shaft l2 and has slidably mount-;

moves the lock to a position where the cam can cooperate with the box floor. In this .way it is not necessary for the binder of the lower box to move the lock entirely clear of? the floorof the top box.

It is a further object of the invention to locate the look so that it will be at one side of the path traversed by the descending empty bobbin which is expelled from the shuttle in the top box during a replenishing operation. This feature, coupled with the fact that the lock is controlled by a shuttle binder, permits the lock to perform its functions entirely independent of and without interfering with any part of the replenishing operation.

It is another object of my present invention to control the lock in such a way that it has ample time to move to locking position. This result I accomplish by starting the lock toward locking position while the lay is on top center and allowing three-quarters of a pick for it to reach looking position before it is needed at the following front center, when transfer can occur.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a lock which acts to provide direct support for the floor of the top box in which replenishment occurs.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and. set forth,

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my inventionis set forth,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation of the replenishing end of a loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of a portion of Fig. 1 showing the shuttle boxes in the raised position which they occupy during a replenishing operation,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4--4 of Fig. 2,, and

Figs. 5 to 9 are diagrammatic views showing the operation of my invention for different posi tions of the shuttle boxes and shuttles.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, I have shown a loom frame [0 and a lay l l which swings back and forth on a rocker shaft l2 supported at ed thereon a box sleeve [4 attached to the lower end ofv a box lifting flexible connector I5 which A rocker foot I3 extends upwardly over a sheave l6 rotatably mounted on the lay and then extends to the opposite side of the loom for connection with a box operating mechanism, such as the well-known Knowles head. A box rod 20 has the lower end thereof mounted for sliding movement in the sleeve I4 while its upper end is attached to a bobbin chute 2|. A collar 22 on the bottom of rod 20 below the sleeve l4 limits upward motion of the rod with respect to the sleeve, and a compression spring 23 surrounding the rod and located between the sleeve I4 and the bobbin chute holds the latter in raised position and serves to lift the bobbin chute when the connector I is raised to elevate the sleeve [4.

A shuttle box gang G consisting of upper and lower boxes 30 and 3|, respectively, is provided with top and bottom horizontal plates 32 and 33, respectively, between which extends a plate 34 forming the floor of the top box G. The inner and outer ends of these plates are attached to vertical guides 35 and 36, respectively, which slide on guides 31 and 38 fastened on the loom lay. The shuttle boxes 36 and 3| are provided with shuttle binders 39 and 46, respectively, movable rearwardly about a binder pin 4| by binder springs 42 secured to the guide plate 36. A stop pin 43 is mounted on the guide plate 44 in front of the binders to limit their forward motion. Rearward motion of the binders is limited by engagement of their left ends as viewed in Fig. 2 with the plate 44.

Depending from the gang G are lugs 45 which are attached as at 46 to similar lugs 41 forming part of the bobbin chute 2i. It is by means of these lugs and their connections that the shuttle boxes are raised and lowered with the bobbin chute when the latter is operated by the previously described rod 28 and spring 23. The bobbin chute has a plate 50 which is inclined downwardly and forwardly from the rear part of the lower shuttle box, and right and left hand forwardly extending flanges 5| and 52, respectively, serve with the plate to define a guideway for the descending exhausted bobbin ejected from the top shuttle box 38 during a replenishing operation.

The loom is provided with a weft replenishing mechanism M which may be of any approved form. The mechanism has a transferrer arm 55 and also has supports designated at 56 and 51 for the head 58 and tip 59, respectively, of a bobbin B which will be in transfer position under the arm 55 preparatory to a replenishing operation of the loom. Weft detector mechanism for calling the replenishing mechanism into action has been omitted from the drawings but may be of any approved form. The transferrer arm is pivoted on a fixed stud 63 and is provided with a latch 6| movable into and out of the path of a hunter 62 on the floor 34 of the lower box. The timing of the replenishing mechanism is such that arm 55 will descend on the first forward beat of the lay after the shuttle boxes have reached their high position, if replenishment has been called. Because of the construction of the shuttle boxes the force exerted downwardly by the transferrer arm is likely to cause vibration or deformation of the thin metallic sections of which a shuttle box is constructed. Furthermore, the spring 23 is likely to permit a slight downward motion of the shuttle boxes at the time of transfer which interferes with perfect action of the parts involved in the transfer operation. The

spring 23 is used to prevent a smash should the 75 shuttle fail to be completely boxed before a box shift.

The matter thus far described may be of the usual construction and of itself forms no part of my present invention. The boxes rise and fall in a four-pick cycle and the shuttle SI is picked out of the bottom box when the shuttle boxes are fully raised to permit the corresponding binder spring 42 to move the lower binder 40 to rear position. If a replenishing operation is to occur the transferrer arm will descend while the lower box is empty, and approximately threequarters of a pick later when the lay is again advancing a shuttle will enter the lower box to move the binder 40 forwardly. For a further understanding of the structure and operation of the parts thus far described reference may be had to Patent No. 2,263,261 and to co-pending applications Serial Nos. 365,093 and 403,326.

In carrying my present invention into effect I provide an auxiliary support for the floor 34 the position of which is determined by binder 40. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 I secure a stand to the lay end 66 which is secured to the lay beam and extends along the shuttle boxes. A stud 61 is fixed in the stand 65 to support an upwardly extending lock lever 68 having a head 69. The top of the head is provided with a flat surface 10 from the rear of which extends a downwardly and rearwardly directed inclined surface H leading to the substantially vertical rear surfacev 12 of the lever 68. A spring 73 is provided to hold the lever 68 yieldingly in rear position. The surface 78 is adapted for movement under the forward part of the floor 34, and the incline H is adapted for engagement with the front edge of the floor 34 when the boxes descend. As shown in Fig. 4 the bottom plate 33 of the lower box is cut away to permit passage of a depleted bobbin, and for this reason lever 68 can move to the rear positions described hereinafter without interference by plate 33.

Figs. 5 to 9 set forth diagrammatically the successive positions which the lock occupies during that part of each four-pick sequence in which replenishment can occur. As shown in Fig. 5 the gang G is rising in the first pick of the sequence and the floor 34 will be in engagement with the rear surface 12 of the lever 68 to hold the latter in forward position. At this time shuttle S2 is in the lower box and its binder 40 is in forward position. As the boxes rise the floor 34 permits spring 13 to move the lever 68 rearwardly against the binder 48 with the surface 10 forward of and out of vertical alignment with the floor 34, as shown in Fig. 6. As soon as the shuttle boxes reach their high position shuttle S2 will be picked to the opposite side of the loom, whereupon binder 48 will be moved rearwardly and spring 13 will causev a further rearward movement of the lever 68 to move the surface 10 under the floor 34. The parts are now in the position shown in Fig. 7 with the lay moving rearwardly during the first pick of the four pick sequence. The lay continues to move rearwardly and then starts forwardly while the parts are as shown in Fig. 7. If indication of weft exhaustion of shuttle SI has previously been given a replenishing operation will ensue at front center during the second pick of the sequence with resultant downward motion of the transferrer arm 55 to expel the depleted bobbin along a path shown by arrow a in Fig. 7. There is an attendant downward force exerted on the boxes, but arm 68 is under the floor 34 and supports the latter during transfer to prevent downward motion or vibration of the boxes.

On the next or third pick of the sequence a shuttle S3 will enter the lower shuttle box as the lay advances and move the binder 4D to forward or left hand position as shown in Fig. 8 to move the lever 68 back to the position which it occupied when the parts were in the position shown in Fig. 6, that is, with the inclined surface H disposed under the front edge of floor 34. The boxes then descend as indicated in Fig. 9 and during this movement floor 34 will engage surface H to cam the lever 68 to its extreme forward position as indicated in Fig. 5. The floor 34 then moves downwardly along the rear edge 12 of lever 68 and the latter will be held substantially stationary with respect to the lay. Thereafter shuttle Si will be picked during the third pick of the sequence and on the next pick shuttle S2 will enter the top box, whereupon the gang G will start to rise to start another four-pick sequence of shifting and repeat the operation already described.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I- have provided a simple form of look controlled by the binder of the lower shuttle box and operative to support the shuttle boxes in addition to the spring 23 during those intervals in the operation of the loom when weft replenishing operations can occur. It will also be seen that the lock lever 68 is oscillated only once for each four picks of the cycle of operations of the gang G, being held in forward position by floor 36 while the boxes are down independently of binder 39. Also, it will be noted with special reference to Fig. 8 that the binder of the lower box moves the inclined surface H of the locklever into position for engagement with the floor 3 3 as the gang descends, thereby avoiding interference of the box shift by the lock. While I have shown the cam H on the lever 63 I do not wish necessarily to be limited to this construction. Furthermore, the fact that the floor of the lower box is cut away to pass the expelled depleted bobbin makes possible the use of a straight edge on the rear of lever 68 for engagement with the floor 34 and the latter holds the lock lever against vibration while the gang G is in low position. The lock lever affords a direct connection between a part stationary on the lay and the floor 3A which receives a downward thrust at the time of weft replenishment. Another feature of my present invention resides in the fact that the lock lies at one side of the path of the outgoing depleted bobbin as determined by the bobbin chute, see Fig. 2, and furthermore the lock has approximately three-quarters of a pick in which to move from the nonlocking position of Fig. 6 to locking position of Fig. '7.. Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, a shuttle binder for the lower shuttle box to be in-one position when the box therefor is empty and moved to another position by entry of a shuttle into said lower box, a floor on which a shuttle in the upper box rests, a support for said floor, and means to move said support under said floor to brace the same during downward replenishment of the shuttle resting on said floor when the lower box is empty and the binder is in said one position, a shuttle entering the lower box causing the binder to move the support to said other position out of bracing relation relatively to said floor priorto descent of said boxes.

2. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, the lower box having a shuttle binder to occupy one position when the lower box is empty and be moved to a second position by a shuttle entering the lower box, a floor for the upper box to support a shuttle therein, a sup port lever pivoted on said lay for backward and forward motion in a vertical plane, and means to hold said support lever against said binder, said binder and means cooperating to position the upper end of said lever under the floor in rear position and in supporting relationrelatively thereto when the binder is in said one position and said binder when moving to the second position moving said lever forwardly out of supporting relation with respect to said floor prior to descent of the boxes.

3. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, a shuttle binder for the lower shuttle box to be in one position when the box therefor is empty and moved to another position by entry of a shuttle into said lower box, a floor on which a shuttle in the upper box rests, a support for said floor, means to move said support under said floor to brace the same during downward replenishment of the shuttle resting on said floor when the lower box is empty and the binder is in said one position, a shuttle entering the lower box causing the binder to move the support out of bracing relation relatively to said floor prior to descent of said boxes, and means to move the support out of the path of said floor as said boxes descend.

4. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yield-' able actuator, a shuttle binder for the lower shuttle box to be in one position when the box therefor is empty and moved to another position by entry of a shuttle into said lower box, a floor on which a shuttle in the upper box rests, a support for said floor, means to move said support under said floor to brace the same during down ward replenishment of the shuttle resting on said floor when the lower box is empty and the binder is in said one position, a shuttle entering the lower box causing the binder to move the support out of bracing relation relatively to said floor prior to descent of said boxes, and means operated by said floor to move the support out of the path of said floor as said boxes descend.

5. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, a shuttle binder for the lower shuttle box to be in one position when the box therefor is empty and moved to another position by entry of a shuttle into said lower box, a floor on which a shuttle in the upper box rests, a support for said floor, and means to move said support under said floor to brace the same during downward replenishment of the shuttle resting on said floor when the lower box is empty and the binder is in said one position, a shuttle entering the lower box causing the binder to move the support out of bracing relation relatively to said fioor, said support having a rearwardly and downwardly inclined surface to be in position for engagement by said floor when said binder is in said other position to cause the floor to move said support out of the path of the floor as the boxes descend.

6. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, the lower box having a shuttle binder to occupy one position when the lower box is empty and be moved to a second position by a shuttle entering the lower box, a floor for the upper box to support a shuttle therein and projecting forwardly of said binder when the latter is in said second position, a lever pivoted to the lay, means to move the lever toward said binder and position a portion of said lever under said floor when the binder is in said one position, and means on said lever to present a cam surface under said iioor, movement of said lever to said second position moving said part of the lever from under the floor and moving said cam in position to be engaged by said floor when the boxes descend.

'7. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, the lower box having a shuttle binder to occupy one position when the lower box is empty and be moved to a second position by a shuttle entering the lower box, a floor for the upper box to support a shuttle therein and projecting forwardly of said binder when the latter is in said second position, a support lever pivoted to the lay in position for engagement with said binder and having a part to support said floor, means to move said support lever to position said part under said floor when the binder is in said one position, and two cooperating elements, one on said lever and one on said floor, said elements being out of cooperative relation when the binder is in said one position, and being moved into cooperative position by movement of the binder to said second position thereof, said elements operative during downward shift of the boxes to move the lever out of the path of the floor.

8. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, the lower box having a shuttle binder to occupy one position when the lower box is empty and be moved to a second position by a shuttle mounting on the lay,

entering the lower box, a floor for the upper box to support a shuttle therein and projecting forwardly of said binder when the latter is in said secondposition, a support lever pivoted to the lay below the boxes, said lever having a rear substantially vertical edge for engagement with said binder and floor, and means to hold the upper end of said lever under and in supporting relationship with respect to said floor with said vertical surface in engagement with the binder when the latter is in said one position, said binder when moving to the second position thereof moving the upper end of the lever forwardly from the floor out of supporting relation therewith, said floor engaging said vertical edge of the lever during descent of the boxes to hold said lever substantially stationary with respect to the lay when the boxes are in low position.

9. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically with respect to the lay by a downwardly yieldable actuator, the lower box having a shuttle binder to occupy one position when the lower box is empty and be moved to a second position by a shuttle entering the lower box and the loom having guide means defining a path for the descent of a depleted bobbin expelled from a shuttle in one of said boxes, a floor for the upper box to support a shuttle therein, a support lever pivoted to the lay for movement in a vertical plane backwardly and forwardly at one side of said guide means, and resilient means to hold said lever against said binder, said resilient means and binder cooperating to hold the lever in rear position when the binder is in said one position to locate the lever under and in supporting relation with respect to said floor and said binder when moving to the second position thereof moving said lever forwardly out of supporting relation with respect to said floor.

10. A supporting lever for the shifting shuttle boxes of a loom having a lay with respect to which the boxes shift vertically, said lever having at the lower end thereof provision for pivotal and having at the upper end thereof a substantially horizontal surface for engagement with the under side of a part of said shuttle boxes and having a rear surface for engagement with the shuttle binder of a shuttle box located below said part of the shuttle boxes, said lever having also a surface between said horizontal and rear surfaces inclined with respect to a line joining said provision for pivotal mounting on the lay and the rear part of said horizontal surface for engagement with said part of the shuttle boxes.

JOSEPH GRZESIK. 

